Rail-joint.



' PATENTED APR. 14, 1908. J. D. STITZELL.

RAIL JOINT I No. 884,774.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 24, 1907.

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JOHN D. STITZELL, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

BAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 24, 1907.

Patented April'l l, 1908.

Serial No. 394,351.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN D. 'S'r TzELL, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Allegheny, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing;

This invention relates to rail joints, par ticularly designed for steam railways, although the same can be used upon street railways and small gages.

The invention aims to provide a continuous tread for rolling stock, thereby dispensing with the jarring and bumping of the rolling stock when passing over the connection of two rails.

Further, the invention aims to dispense with the use of nuts and bolts for connecting the confronting ends of two rails together, and to provide novel means which will prevent lateral displacement of said rails with relation to one another.

To this end, I employ a connecting member for the confronting ends of two rails, the member bracing the heads of said rails and maintaining same in a horizontal plane. The employment of the member necessitates the machining or cutting of the ends of the rails, but not to that extent as to incur an eX- pensive structure impossible to the present construction of railroad tracks.

The detail construction entering into my invention will be presently described and then specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective view of the rail joint. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the end of the rails, Fig. 3 is a per spective View of one end of the adjoining rail, Fig. 4 is a perspective View of the connecting member or joining piece, Fig. 5 is a cross sectional View of the rail joint, and Fig. 6 is a similar view illustrating a slight modification thereof.

To put my invention into practice, I use rails 1 and 2,similar to the resent type of rail, and I cut away the con ronting ends of these rails to accommodate a connecting member. The connecting member comprises a bar 3, having a base; of greater width than its top, the object of which will presently appear.

The base of the rails 1 and 2 are cut away,

as at 4, to accommodate the bottom edge of the connecting member, while the webs 5 of said rails are cut away as at 6 to receive the connecting member and allow a longitudinally disposed tongue 7, carried by the upper edge of the connecting member to fit in longitudinallydisposed grooves 8 formed in the under side of the heads of the rails 1 and 2.

The connecting member or joining piece 3 has its sides contiguous to its lower edge provided with longitudinally disposed ribs 9, adapted to rest upon the base flanges of the rails 1 and 2 and brace the lower edge of the connecting member.

In Fig. 6 of the drawings I have illustrated a slight modification, wherein the tongue 7 is dove-tailed, as at 7, thus necessitating the sliding of the connecting member into the ends of the rails and preventin said member from being vertically displaced with relation to said rails. In practice, I cut away the flanges of the rails 1 and 2 as at 10, to receive spikes (not shown) or similar means employed for retaining the rails upon a tie or sleeper (also not shown).

The connecting bar can be readily manufactured by rolling, and can be easily and quickly placed in position to provide a continuous tread for rolling stock passing over the rails 1 and 2.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new, is

The combination with the rails having the webs thereof cut away at the ends of the rails and having their base flanges cut away centrally for a length equal to the distance of the cut-away portion of the web, the treads of said rails being provided on the underneath face with a groove equal in length to the cut away portion of the web and base flange, of a connecting member having its base portion fitting in the cut away portion of the rail base flanges and having a tongue on its upper edge fitting in the groove in the underneath face of the rail treads, and longitudinally-extending side ribs on said connecting member resting upon the base flanges of said rails.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN D. STITZELL. Witnesses:

H. O. EVERT, C. A. RENzIEHAUsEN. 

